UNNA.- The Centre for International Light Art is presenting Morellet, the final exhibition curated by the light art pioneer himself. For many generations, François Morellet (*30. April 1926 in Cholet, France; †11. May 2016) inspired an art genre that uses light as its primary material.

During a visit at Morellet’s studio in Cholet in the autumn of 2015, director John Jaspers’ idea for an exhibition was met with great enthusiasm by François Morellet and his wife Danielle. They gathered then and there to develop the concept for a retrospective.

Morellet himself, creatively active until the end of his life, already knew that he might not be around anymore to experience the exhibition personally. With the sad news of his death this spring, the museum considers it an even greater honour to present this goodbye present.

Part of the exhibition are early works from the 1960s as well as current installations from 2006-2015.

Light Art Pioneer
Determined to discover a new medium of expression, Morellet used neon tubes as his preferred material as early as 1963. During the 1960s, he produced objects in which neons would be switched on and off. From the 1980s, he used neon in combination with other materials like wood, cloth, aluminium, or acrylic paint. Many of his later works relate to spatial or architectural situations and play with the viewer’s perception of space, just like Morellet’s permanent installation “NO END NEON (Pier and Ocean), 2001/2002” at the Centre for International Light Art.

“Neon keeps me busy intensively. It’s a hard and cold material that I like, and which makes it possible to work with elements like time and rhythm” François Morellet

With his rigorous use of abstract geometry, Morellet tended to create emotionally neutral work, yet aesthetically close to perfection, which placed him very near to minimal and conceptual art. A seemingly emotionless rationality of shortened lines, constructivist lattice design and – often – a cool neon light repeat in his works. Yet, his aim lay higher:

“I love the strictness of geometry, but I love it even more to ignore all strictness” François Morellet

Morellet brought order into chaos, only to draw chaos back into the order through the use of ironic and aleatoric strategies, thereby seizing the absurdity of life.